A series of advices for believing women: Hijaab&Modesty

Continued series on "Advices for believing women"

Advice #2: The Hijaab and its purpose

Bismillah,

Indeed, all praise and thanks are due to Allah alone, lord of the heavens and the earth. Without him we would not be able to breath, see, hear or think. Without Allah, we are nothing. Thus, only He alone has every right to be worshipped and I reject all others that are worshipped beside Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad ibn Abdullaah is the final prophet and messenger of Allah for mankind. He is the brother of Musa (Moses) and Eesa (Jesus son of Mary), he was the best of creation and a mercy for mankind. So peace and blessings be upon him (sala Allahu alayhi wa sallam).


In the last post, I advised my sisters regarding parents in Islam and how they should be treated. I did this realizing my own mistakes and faults and pointed out that yes we are all human beings.

In our present day and age, the ummah is slowly beginning to wake up from its slumber. The nations of kufr have united against the ummah of Muhammad without doubt. Their hatred for Islaam and its people is apparent with the words they speak and by their actions, but as Allah said, the hidden hatred in their hearts is worse. We see protests, violent clashes and massacres taking place all over the lands of Islaam.  Through the media,  one realizes that the issue is not light and that things are getting worse and more serious. We see the faces of many young people in these massacres and demonstrations. We are happy that "yes, finally we are waking up to see some of our problem."  This is as it may seem but the reality is different. Why do we not have a solution to our problems?

What will get this ummah anywhere is most definitely and certainly one thing. That is turning back to Islaam completely-not partially. Turning back to the Quran and sunnah is the initial key and solution to our many present-day problems. When we do this, we will surely see the victory of Allah right in front of us. Once we establish this, it is important to know what to do next and what is expected from us.

My dear sister, know and realize that the paradise of Allah is indeed expensive and not cheap. Saying la ilaha illa Allah alone is not sufficient to take us to al jannah. Rather, it is "KNOWING" La ilaha illa Allah.  What do we mean when we say "knowing" la ilaha illa Allah? Well, we  say this just as Allah azza wa jall commanded The Messenger of Allah in the Noble Revelation,

"So know that la ilaha illa Allah and seek forgiveness for your sin and also for the believing men and believing women.." [Surah Muhammad ayah 19]

Knowledge is the key to following the Pure Book and Sunnah of our beloved (sala Allahu alayhi wa sallam). The ummah will grow and progress by first going back to what it is lacking in. What will burn and eradicate the fire of disbelief and ignorance is knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah. If we are ignorant of our own belief, how will we overcome our enemy? If we do not know what we are living for and who we seek to die for, then what good is left in us my dear sisters?

So know and realize my dear sister that Islam is a set of principles, rules, akhlaaq(manners), and not merely statements. We adhere to Islam with conviction through our actions.

The hijaab, my beloved sister is from Allah and you as a jewel and daughter of Islam should appreciate that. The Muslim woman is the happiest and closest woman to Allah in obedience because when she wears the proper hijaab she does it out of love and obedience to her creator and not to a man.

Look around you my dear and respected sister, the women in the magazines and those who model for the different companies are all dressing to please and appeal to men. These companies and industries are run by men! This is a pure depiction of the contradictory of the west and their so called democracy and call to freedom.

Know O Muslimah that you are the most free woman on Earth! May Allah keep you happy and make you content with Islaam as well as us. The hijaab requires a pure intention, a strong heart and patience. It is not mere clothing, rather it is a form of Ibadah! Yes this is indeed true.

After all this, realize and understand my sister that the proper, Islaamic hijaab has several conditions. If every sister adheres to these conditions, we would see much better results in our communities for we know children imitate their elders. We are the example for the next generation. Are children become what we are. So let us as muslim women who believe in Allah and the last day turn to the proper hijaab for the sake of Allah.

THE CONDITIONS OF THE HIJAAB as per the Quran and Sunnah:

1.  It must cover the entire body.

Allah clearly mentions in Surah al Ahzaab (Surah 33) ayahs 53, 59 and in Surah Al Noor (Surah 24) ayah 31 the hijaab. In Surah al Ahzaab, Allah azza wa jall uses the term jilbaab and hijaab and in Surah al Noor, the term khumur (plural of khimaar which means scarf).

First, we should know that the khimaar is not the hijaab itself but is actually a part of the hijaab. The khimaar is the part of the hijaab that covers the hair and neck. The hijaab is the entire covering, it can be one piece or 2 piece. The jilbaab is the full hijaab and is one long garment which the musim woman puts over herself. We mention these differences because many people refer to the scarf as hijaab when this is definitely not the case. Someone can be wearing a scarf and that can be just a scarf and not the hijaab because the hijaab must always fulfill the conditions.

So, the hijaab must cover the entire body. As we know, the scholars have differed over covering the face and hands. According to one group , it is waajib (obligatory) to also cover the face and hands. In this case the niqaab is also a part of the hijaab. It covers the face and sometimes the eyes.

Another group of scholars said it is mustahhab(highly recommended) that a Muslim woman covers her face. Either way, it is a virtuous act and may Allah reward the women who wear it for His sake and keep them firm.

2. The hijaab must be loose and not tight.

This is a very important rule. Sometimes we see sisters (may Allah forgive them and us) who wear maa sha Allah plain black abaaya but that is tight from the top and curvy from the waist and opens down. This shows the figure of the woman and this is not allowed. The point of the hijaab is for the woman to be dressed as a chaste,modest believing woman. The hijaab is not meant to attract people to the woman's body shape. This destroys the purpose of the hijaab my dear sister, so please avoid this.

3. The hijaab must not be decorated

As we mentioned, the hijaab is not meant to attract people. We should not wear shiny, glittery things on our hijaab or dress or skirt. Things that would bring us out or make us stand out.This is not to say that the hijaab must be dull colored and plain black. The hijaab can be any decent, non-attracting attention color but it should not be shiny and have decorations on it.

4. The hijaab must be long 

Some sisters wear short skirts or abayas even though these skirts or abayas may be plain and not decorative. The prophet (sala Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said "all of a woman is awrah." Awrah means something that is to be covered like the private parts. My dear sisters it is mandatory that we learn our deen and seek knowledge. We were not created to merely go to school, work, and have fun. Our main purpose and goal in life is to worship Allah and to please Him.  If we do this, we will find all happiness and acquire a sense of blissful peace.

The feet of a woman are awrah as we know. Therefore, how can a sister cover her feet with socks yet wear a short skirt or abaya in which the skin of her legs or ankles are showing? The hijaab must be long enough to cover the feet. If the sister is wearing socks, the dress or skirt can be up to the ankle or a little past that. It doesnt have to be so long. If she can not find socks then she should make the dress or skirt is long enough that her feet are covered.  In any case the feet must be covered, this is the view of the majority of the scholars. The proof for this is from the hadeeth of Umm Salamah (radiyallahu anha).  Abu Dawud reported in his Sunan that Umm Salamah was asked about a woman who prayed in a khimaar and a dress. She replied, "There is nothing wrong with it if the dir' (chemise) covers her feet."  The hadeeth has been graded weak and strong by different scholars but the meaning is correct.  So we advice our sisters to make sure that their hijaab is long. The longer the better.

5. The hijaab must not be transparent

The hijaab as we said, must be thick and not show the figure of the woman. Similarly, it must not be thin in material that would make it see-through. This breaks the purpose of hijaab which is to cover the shape of the woman. The prophet (sala allahu alayhi wa sallam) said towards the end of time before the Day of Judgment, women will appear who will be dressed but naked(kaasiyaat 'aariyyaat).[refer. Hadeeth of Ibn Ummar, Sahih Muslim]

Wearing see-through clothing shows the woman's skin beneath her clothing although she is wearing actual clothing. This is definitely not hijaab and may Allah guide us all.

6. The hijaab must not resemble the clothing of the disbelievers

The hijaab must not be from the kuffar brands like we have nowadays CK, skinny jeans, etc. My dear sister, understand that the hijaab is a garment we as muslim women wear for the sake of Allah, not for people. The hijaab is meant to bring you closer to Allah, not to lead you to imitating the disbelievers. Remember the prophet (sala Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said "whoever imitates a people is from among them." So we should make sure that we imitate the hijaab of the mothers of the believers and female companions. We dont need to "modernize" the hijaab. Allah has made it for all times! Its the best uniform for the muslim woman. Its what brings us closer together when we see one another in public. More importantly, its what brings us closer to ALLAH.

7. The hijaab must not be perfumed

Beware o female slave of Allah! This is very important my dear sister as it has become common nowadays. My dear sister if you are not aware of the issue now, please listen carefully. It is not permissible for a muslim woman to spray herself with perfume before she leaves her home. You may ask, "well what's the proof?"

A woman who smelt of perfume passed by Abu Hurayra (radiya allahu anhu) and was on her way to the masjid. So he said to her, "O slave-woman of the Compeller (yaa Amatul Jabbar)! Where are you headed?" she replied, "To the masjid." He said, " And have you put on perfume for that?" She replied, "yes." He said, " I heard the messenger of Allah say, "Any woman who puts on perfume then goes out to the masjid, no salah will be accepted from her until she takes a bath." [ Sunan Ibn Majah]

Finally, it all goes back to intention. Before you leave your home each and every moment, ask yourself the question, "Why am I wearing this?" and "Am I wearing this hijaab for the sake of Allah?" "is Allah azza wa jall pleased with what I am wearing?"These are important questions because they affect us.  These questions show you how much the hijaab means to you, how much Allah means to you. My dear sister, know that Islaam is meant to protect the muslim. The hijaab is not oppression to you, rather it is honor and dignity. The Muslim woman is the only and truly dignified woman on the face of the earth. When you do something for the sake of Allah, never think of it as a loss. It is actually a gain and a great benefit for you. All these women who walk about half naked are not like you. You are what is shining the street when you walk down that street in proper hijaab. Hijaab is becoming more strange and strange in these miserable times we are living in. It is a blessing for Allah to choose us to be the ones to revive it. Let the haters continue their false talk, they can never distinguish the light of Allah, al Islaam. Alhamdulillah more sisters are coming back to the truth. We thank Allah for Islaam and we always ask him for thabaat (firmness) bi-idhnillaah.

May Allah make us true believing chaste women and we ask Allah to keep us firm in our Islaam. May Allah help each and every sister and guide her to the proper hijaab. May Allah protect the muslim women all over the world who wear the hijaab for the sake of Allah.